Pretty Bird
by HeadGirl1
Summary: She was gone, lost for years. Now she's back and she has secrets to reveal, but is she still lost to them? "Who's a pretty bird?" "I'm a pretty bird."
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello all! I'm back! It's been years but there have been some recent developments in my life so, merely as a way to keep my sanity, I've picked up writing again. I actually found all my old, partially written fanfictions from years ago. Some of them are ten years old. I picked the one that peaked my interest the most and decided to attempt to do something with it. This one was originally written in 2005. At the time, I was 15 years old. I am now 24 and as I read it through I realized how severely underdeveloped my writing was back then. Everything was rushed and I'm not even quite sure where I was going with the plot. HOWEVER, I have gone through it, rewritten and embellished upon what I already had, and even developed a plot line lol. Life now is pretty busy, but I'm going to try to stick to a dead line of one chapter a week. I highly appreciate feedback (good, bad, flames, the whole kit n caboodle), as I once read somewhere on this site, _criticism is to the author as salt is to the meat._

It was four o'clock in the morning when Draco Malfoy's Witching Stone began to pulse a glowing red, casting an eerie glow throughout his dark bedroom, and shrieking next to his head. He moaned and blinked blearily at the stone. Recognizing the red glow as a call from work, he moaned louder and slammed a pillow over his head. Despite his best efforts, the stone would not stop shrieking and, if anything, seemed to grow louder. Abandoning his futile attempts at ignoring the noise, he angrily threw his pillow across the room and roughly snatched the stone off his bedside table. The shrieking immediately stopped at his touch and began to emit a soft, white glow from between his fingers.

"What?!"

"Don't get snippy, Malfoy," replied the stone, the voice sounding as though it were bouncing off of ceramic tiles, "We've got something on the Recorders that we want you to take a listen to."

After the downfall of Lord Voldemort, any Death Eaters who hadn't immediately surrendered has scattered. Many groups had been tracked down, disbanded, and delivered to Azkaban. However, the current Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley, was not under the illusion that the threat was gone, nor did he believe it would remain gone even if they managed to locate the rest of the rogue Death Eaters. He had taken it upon himself to create a whole new branch of the Ministry; Defense Against Dark Wizardry.

"Hardly worth waking me up before dawn," Draco growled in irritation.

While the Aurors were the Ministry's front line of attack, the witches and wizards appointed to work the new department were the Ministry's cautious defense. They had already discovered a few years prior that many of Voldemort's followers were resorting to using Muggle telephones as a means to communicate with one another. Apparition, the Floo Network, and Port Keys were being closely monitored and many Ministry members had seen it as a sign of victory when efforts showed no more Death Eaters using any of the previously mentioned. Not everyone was so easily fooled.

"Watch your bloody tone, Malfoy," the voice replied gruffly, "This is something you want to get your arse down here for."

Once they had figured out they were using telephones, they began to place Tracers on any words relating to their world that were spoken over telephone lines. It was mostly rubbish these days. Muggles had taken a fancy to fantasy movies and video games that included all sorts of magic. Once in a while, though, they struck gold.

"Fine, fine, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Make it five and you can keep your job."

"Okay, what was _so_ important that you had to wake me up at four in the morning?" Draco asked loudly, strolling into the room and throwing his arms in the air dramatically. The person from the Witching Stone, an attitude endowed twenty five year old witch named Tilly Matthews, swiveled her chair away from a complicated looking machine to face him.

"We havin' a slumber party, Malfoy?" she asked, one eyebrow arching up in a slightly amused fashion.

He glanced down, taking in the fact that he was wearing his silky drawstring pajama pants and nothing else. It suddenly dawned on him why the female interns had been staring at him and why Neville Longbottom had looked significantly more uncomfortable than usual around him as they shared an elevator. "You woke me up at four in the morning and gave me five minutes to get here. You're just lucky I even wore pants to bed," he snapped, pointing a finger at her, "Let's just hurry this thing up."

Tilly shrugged. "Don't get your pants in a bunch," she said, turning back to the machine, "No, really. Don't. It'll obstruct the nice view of your arse that they give." He scowled at the back of her head and sat in the chair next to her. "Okay, so here's what we've got; a call goes out to a seemingly random Muggle family about an hour and a half ago-"

"An hour and a half? What took you so long to call me?"

"Deflate your ego, Malfoy," Tilly scoffed, "You aren't the only able mind in this department. Besides, would you have rather been woken up at two thirty when it came in?" At Draco's silence she continued. "I had Penny Applegate and once of the Fowling boys helping me-"

"Which Fowling?"

"Bloody hell, Malfoy!" Tilly shouted, glancing at him in irritation, "I don't know! They both look exactly the same, I can't tell them apart."

"Me either, but one of them's a total nit."

"I thought you wanted me to hurry this up?" Draco motioned extravagantly with his hands, as if to tell her to continue. "_As I was saying_, the Muggles in questions are presumed to be random at this point in time-"She held up a hand in front of Draco's face without sparing him so much as a glance, fingers splayed, as he opened his mouth yet again. "_Yes_, there will be a follow up, but judging at how bloody pissed he was at being woken up, it's a pretty safe bet that it was random. I've edited out the Muggle, it's irrelevant and he gets a bit vulgar, but this is like none of the others we've ever heard before." She hit a few colored buttons and the speakers began to emit a crackly noise, broken up at first only by squeaking and the clanking of chains in the background.

"_Magic, wands, trolled, Hogwarts, Ministry of Magic, Hogsmeade, Arithmancy,"_ came the voice, contorted by the quality of the phone, "_Please. Danger. Please, I don't want to go back._" The voice paused before continuing. "_Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter… Lord Voldemort._" Then the line cut off.

"And that was it," Tilly said helplessly, turning to him and flopping her hands in her lap, "It was like they were _trying_ to be traced."

Meanwhile, Draco was racking his brain. "I know that voice," he blurted out, frowning.

"You can identify the voice on this crappy phone line?" she asked in amazement, "Wow. I should give you a raise."

"I've got an idea, but I can't be positive. I've definitely heard it before." Draco ran a hand through his hair, and unfortunate habit he had whilst stressed. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Can you clear the voice up a bit? Maybe get rid of the garbage in the background?"

Tilly gasped in mock surprise, placing a hand over her heart. "I never even thought of that!" She shook her head and giggled, her long golden hair bouncing gracefully around her face. "Where _is_ my brain?"

"Tilly, it's too early to work with your dumb blonde routine," he replied dryly, "Just be serious for once."

Tilly grinned. "Says the man wearing his pajamas to work." When Draco glared at her she held up her hands in surrender and turned back to the machine, turning knobs and pulling levers. "Judging by the quality, I'd say that the call was made from a payphone.

The voice came on again, this time a bit less crackly and without the interfering squeaking and clanking. Draco abruptly jumped from his chair, sending it wheeling backwards into the wall. "I knew it!" he shouted hysterically, "It's Granger! That's Hermione Granger!"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Apparently, I didn't go through the last chapter thoroughly enough and I apologize. I only missed two errors, but it bothered me greatly when I read through it again. There is supposed to be a page break between Draco talking to the Witching Stone and arriving at work and the word "trolled" is supposed to be "trolls" when they play Hermione's recorded phone message. Sorry! Also, I know I'm a few days early with this posting, but I'm gonna be on a bus until Friday (finally going back home to Long Island!) and won't be able to post so I figured I'd get it out of the way. =]

**3 Years Earlier**

_Hermione Granger, nineteen years old, slammed the front door to the apartment she shared with her boyfriend and stomped angrily into the kitchen. Moments later, the front door opened again and slammed close even harder, as if in competition. "Bloody hell, Granger!" Draco Malfoy shouted, "Quit being such a bint!" He stalked through their apartment, eyes roaming the layout in search of the fired up brunette._

_Hermione stepped out of the kitchen directly in front of him, startling the Slytherin. "Come off it, Malfoy!" she shouted, poking him in the chest, "I'm gonna act like a bloody bint if I want to act like a bloody bint!" Making a loud noise of irritation, she disappeared back into the kitchen. Draco was hot on her heels._

_Hermione and Draco fought a lot, over almost everything. Their fights were explosive, destructive, and, more often than not, ended with enthusiastic sex. Their relationship baffled nearly everyone, but it made sense to each other. They understood one another. Most of the time. "You're making absolutely _no_ bloody _sense_!" he shouted as he made his entry into the kitchen, ducking just in time to avoid a head on collision with a teapot that was flying across the room, and looking at her incredulously, "You trying to kill me, woman?!"_

"_Imagine, the great _Draco Malfoy_ being taken out by a bloody _teapot_," she sneered at him, jabbing her wand in the direction of the stove so the water would begin to boil, "Trust me, if I was trying to kill you, you wouldn't see it coming!" She kicked the kitchen table angrily and glared at him. "Why would you go over my head and tell Mr. Weasley not to let me go?"_

_Draco shifted uncomfortable for a moment. "It's dangerous, Hermione." He bristled when she scoffed. "And you will _not_ be going!" She laughed loudly in his face, causing him to turn red with anger._

_The Aurors were preparing a raid on a suspected hideout. The Death Eaters themselves shouldn't be much of a problem; Hermione had participated in take downs larger than this and come out victorious. The hideout, however, was an old mansion that had once belonged to a particularly vicious pureblooded family. The wards on the mansion were complicated and violent and Draco hadn't wanted to take any chances._

"_Well that's too bad!" Hermione shouted, face as red as his as she stormed past him into the living room and shouting over her shoulder, "Because Mr. Weasley gave _me_ the final say on whether I go or not!"_

_Draco, flabbergasted, quickly grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, searching her face for signs of a lie. Finding none, his grip tightened lightly. "You can't!" he spluttered, "I… I forbid it!"_

_Hermione's eyes narrowed and she ripped her arm away. "You _forbid_ it?!" she shrieked, "What am I? One of your bloody house elves?" The teapot in the kitchen began to whistle as Hermione strode toward the front door, muttering under her breath._

"_Hermione Granger, if you go on that raid, we're done!" he shouted, pointing dramatically at her retreating back. She made a rather rude gesture with her hand without turning around. They were both used to these threats. Sometimes their fights would get out of hand and one would tell the other something they didn't mean. They'd separate for a few days but would eventually end up back in each other's arms, apologies and clothing flying everywhere as they made their way to a bed. "I mean it, Hermione! You walk out that door right now, don't bother coming back!"_

_The resounding slam of the door and the shrill whistle of the teapot gave no hints or clues that this would be the last time he saw Hermione Granger for quite a while._

**Present Day**

Tilly eyed him skeptically. "Are you sure?" she asked, pursing her lips, "I mean, like, really, _really_, sure?"

Draco was practically quivering with repressed emotion. "Of course I'm sure Tilly!" he exclaimed, "Where's the payphone?"

"You were sure last time, too. We can't afford another wild Granger chase that leads us nowhere getting to the public," Tilly replied, turning worried eyes on Draco, "Rita Skeeter would have a bloody field day. Not to mention how Riggs is going to react when I bring it up to him. It was like pulling teeth getting him to give us man power for the last Granger excursion-"

"Then don't ask him Tilly, we don't need a team of Aurors mucking around on a mission none of them believe in anyway. I'll go." Draco's stomach was twisting in knots, whether in excitement or trepidation, he wasn't sure yet. "Find me the payphone Tilly; we've wasted enough time already. Where is she?"

Tilly hesitated, leaning back in her chair and chewing thoughtfully on her lip. "Um… could be a park, maybe? Or… or a train station?" She leaned forward again and placed a hand on his arm, her face uncharacteristically soft. "Listen Draco, hun, I know you cared about her way back when, but you shouldn't get your hopes up-"

Draco violently shook her off and furiously roared in her face, "_FIND ME THE BLOODY PAYPHONE!_"

Tilly glared at him angrily for a moment. "Watch it, Draco Malfoy. Talkin' to a superior here," Tilly said frostily. She returned to her machine, punching a complicated mixture of buttons. A slip of paper slid out of the machine and she grabbed it, studying it for a moment before Draco snatched it out of her hands.

"What's this rubbish?"

"They're _coordinates_, Malfoy. Quit _touching_ my _stuff_. Merlin, you're impossible." She scowled at him, snatching it back and holding it out of his reach. "We're not breaking protocol any more than we have to. I'll tell you where she is but you have to take back up." Draco bounced on the balls of his feet impatiently, but nodded in agreement. "I was right. Train station. King's Cross."

Draco was out the door before she could blink, shouting a, "Thanks!" over his shoulder as he ran. He shoved his way through the unusually crowded halls, making his way towards the elevators.

Tilly put one foot on her machine and kicked off, sending her wheeling out into the hall. She could see Draco's pale back running down the hall. "Stop at Zabini's and take him with you!" she shouted. He raised an arm and waved, but his pace never wavered. He turned the corner and disappeared from view, although she could still hear him shouting at people to _get out of the god damn way_. "And put some bloody clothes on!"

**Hey You!**

**Almost three hundred views and only **_**three**_** reviews? You can do better.**

**buttercup88:**Thank you, I hope it continues to be good, be honest with me and let me know what you think of the future chapters.

**Cowboy'sMontana: **That's what I'm hoping for, keep reviewing and let me know if you like the direction I'm going in.

**Annalynn Roe: **Thanks, let me know what you think of the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

CRACK!

"What the fu-"

"Wake up!"

Draco placed a foot on Blaise Zabini's hip and pushed, effectively dumping him to the floor from his bed. Blaise struggled for a moment, desperately trying to untangle his legs from the blankets and find his wand in the dark. Finally finding his wand, which had fallen to the floor with its owner and rolled, he gripped it and said, "Lumos!" The light from his wand landed on the impatient face of Draco Malfoy and he rolled his eyes. "The hell are you doing here?" he croaked, waving his wand. All the lamps in the room came on at once and both his eyebrows shot straight up to his hairline. "And where the bloody hell are your clothes?!"

The blonde waved his hand nonchalantly, dismissing the question, and traveled around the bed. He grabbed the blanket that was still wrapped around Blaise's legs and tugged, frowning when the Italian tugged back. "We don't have time for this, we're in a hurry, let's _go_."

Blaise scowled at him and yanked the blanket out of his friends hands, brandishing his wand. "Malfoy, you can not just Apparate naked into a bloke's bedroom in the middle of the night and not offer an explanation!"

"Oi! 'M not naked!" Draco shouted, clearly affronted, "And if I was, _your_ bedroom would _not_ be my first stop!" He stuck an arm out, helping a snickering Blaise to his feet.

"That's not what I heard from-"

"That was a bloody lie and you know it!"

Blaise snickered again, stretching his arms out and yawning. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company at-" He squinted at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened. "_- four thirty in the morning_?!"

Draco had moved to the dresser, digging through the clothes on a blatant mission. He threw a grin over his shoulder and Blaise shifted nervously. "We've found her."

Blaise stilled altogether and a sharp intake of breath could be heard. "For real this time?" he asked quietly, stunned. He caught the shirt Draco threw in his direction and pulled it quickly over his head. "Are you sure?"

Draco nodded enthusiastically and chose one of Blaise's shirts to wear. "Of course I'm sure, I heard her voice!"

Blaise narrowed his eyes in doubt. "Heard her voice?" he asked as he simultaneously pulled his shoes out from underneath his bed and slipped them on, "So you haven't seen her yet, then?"

Draco finished dressing himself in Blaise's clothing and grinned inanely, darting forward and grabbing the darker boy by the arm. "That's what we're going to do right now."

Understanding dawned on Blaise's face at the last moment. "Oh bollocks, I hate-"

CRACK!

"-side along!" Draco released Blaise's arm as the poor boy turned and gagged. "Dammit Draco!" he moaned, hands on his knees, gagging again, "A little warning would be nice! You know my stomach gets all twisted up." Seemingly done for the time being, Blaise straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked around, tripping over himself as Draco began to walk while he tried to get his bearings and keep up at the same time. "King's Cross? 'Cor, I haven't been here in years."

"This is where the call came from," Draco said distractedly, eyes sweeping back and forth as he strode along, "This is it, this is time is the real deal, Blaise."

Panting, Blaise lurched forward and grasped Draco by the elbow. Draco stopped moving and cast exasperated eyes on his friend. "Malfoy, hold up a minute. Listen, I don't want you getting your hopes up-"

"Ugh, why does everybody keep _telling_ me that?"

"She's been gone a long time, mate," Blaise continued quietly, as though Draco hadn't interrupted, "This never ending search has been making you crazy. No one would blame you if you, I don't know, gave it a rest for a while? Took a breather?"

Draco's face hardened and his fist was buried in the front of Blaise's shirt within seconds. "Don't you... _ever_ suggest that. How could you even... why would you... I _loved_ hey-" His fist had begun to shake and his voice was bordering on hysterical. Blaise simply nodded in understanding and gently pried Draco's hand out of his shirt. "'Cor mate, 'm sorry, didn't mean anything by it. Didn't ask you to _give up_ on her, I just don't wanna see you go off the deep end." Blaise chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Bloody hell, the chit always did have a special way of driving you a bit bonkers."

Blaise was rewarded with the smallest of smiles. "That she did, mate, that she did," he said bemusedly, running a hand through his hair, "Even when she's not here she's making me nutty."

"Quit doing that, you're mussin' your hair all up," Blaise scolded lightly, "You want Granger to see your hair all mussed up? She'd throw a fit."

Draco threw Blaise an irritated scowl. "Quit playin' games with me, Zabini. Build me up, put me down... I feel like a soddin' yo-yo." But Blaise wasn't looking at him anymore. He was looking past him. The blonde Slytherin whirled around, almost tripping over himself in the process.

There, sitting on a bench, was a woman.

Draco stood frozen in stunned silence. The moment of truth had finally come and his legs had mysteriously stopped communicating with his brain. "Go on, mate," Blaise said quietly, finally giving him a gentle nudge towards the bench.

The entire world disappeared. Draco might have been more concerned about this overwhelming tunnel vision that he had suddenly had it not been for the fact that at the end of the tunnel sat someone who could be Hermione Granger.

With every step Draco took, he found a new reason that this could not be his Hermione. The hands tucked between her knees were too bony. Hermione most certainly did not hunch over like that. Wasn't Hermione's hair a different shade of brown? It was far too limp and his Hermione would never wear it brutally chopped off at her chin like that.

He hadn't even realized he had been holding his breath until he dropped to his knees in front of the young woman, a wave of dizziness coming over him. He blinked away the spots in his vision and tentatively reached out, stopping just short of physical contact and letting his hand fall back to his side. "Hermione?" he asked fearfully, waiting for everything to fall apart and to wake up sweating in his bed.

The woman looked up at him and Draco could have sworn that all the oxygen in the world had been removed. No matter how long it had been, how faded the pictures became, how short her hair was; he could never forget her eyes. Like liquid chocolate. She smiled as she looked at him. The smile was sad and haunted, but still a smile. She reached out and held a hand to the side of his face, caressing his cheek with her thumb. "He said he killed you," she whispered.

Draco jumped at the sound of her voice. His heart felt like it was going to explode and tears leaked down his face as he realized he had forgotten what she sounded like. He smiled back at her and placed one of his hands over hers, the other on her too thing face. "I'm still here, love."

The smile on her face flickered. "Not here."

"What?"

"Can't stay. Gotta keep moving. Find you if you... stay." She appeared confused and her hands began to shake. "Want to stay. Please? Please don't make me go. Not again." She was sobbing now, great hitching noises that ripped out of her chest and into Draco's soul.

"It's okay, baby, it's alright. I've got you now, you never have to leave ever again," he assured her rapidly, pressing their foreheads together, "I'm so _sorry_."


End file.
